Movie review: This Dragon’ will slay you with heart

For centuries, dragons have gotten a bad rap. But that could change as a result of the 3-D fantasy “How to Train Your Dragon.”

Al Alexander

For centuries, dragons have gotten a bad rap. I’m not sure why. I’ve been told it has something to do with their breath.

But an acute case of castle-tosis shouldn’t be reason to discriminate.

Try telling that, though, to the bloodthirsty Vikings inhabiting the Island of Berk.

They’ve been slaying the habitual arsonists for years without questioning why they believe the only good dragon is a dead dragon.

It’s the Viking way.

But that philosophy is about to experience a bit of a hiccup in the 3-D fantasy “How to Train Your Dragon.”

By the way, that’s Hiccup with a capital H, and he is about as much a true Viking as Brett Favre.

But like the indecisive QB, Hiccup is about to lead his fellow Vikes to renewed prosperity, albeit while dodging accusations that he’s a traitor.

You see, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) has been seen fraternizing with the enemy in the person of an ornery desperado going by the ironic name of Toothless.

He’s the dragon Hiccup remorsefully shoots down in a desperate attempt to win favor with his disapproving father, Stoick (the ubiquitous Gerard Butler), the island’s fiercest hunter.

Instead of jabbing the dagger into the helpless creature’s heart, however, Hiccup, at great peril, sets the wounded reptile free.

And thus sparking the beginnings of a beautiful relationship rivaling those in “King Kong,” “The Iron Giant” and “Lilo & Stitch.”

Yes, it’s a familiar story of friendship between man and beast, but it’s also one that never grows old, especially if it’s entrusted to the hands of directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders. Sure, they’re basically traversing the same territory they covered in the aforementioned “Lilo & Stitch,” but they’ve found a way to make “Dragon” just fresh enough to stand on its own.

Besides, their flick is more likely to be compared with “Avatar” than anything else, given the parallel plots and “can’t we all just get along” theme.

But that doesn’t mean the two are on a par.

Far from it.

If anything, “Dragon” is vastly superior in every way, from acting to action.

But it’s the tremendous amount of heart it exudes that truly sets it apart.

There was a time I couldn’t imagine ever putting “heart” and “DreamWorks” in the same sentence.

Which might explain why DreamWorks has suddenly adopted an if-you-can’t-beat-them attitude by digging deep into the Pixar playbook by stressing story over cuteness.

DeBlois and Sanders even include several scenes free of dialogue, a la “WALL-E” and “Up.”

Those also just happen to be the best moments of the movie, as Hiccup and Toothless find inventive ways to communicate in rapt silence.

It’s a real shame there aren’t more of those scenes, because whenever humans get together to converse, “Dragon” loses a lot of its fire, especially when DreamWorks’ old bugaboos, pop-culture references, rear their ugly heads.

Old habits, like dragons, die hard.

But at least “Dragon” makes a concerted effort to reach higher.

Ditto for its vast technical achievements, particularly in action scenes that rival, if not top, everything in “Avatar.”

While I didn’t have the opportunity to see it in 3-D, it’s clear it’s going to be eye-popping in that format, especially the way Toothless darts to and fro through the sky with Hiccup clinging for dear life to his scaly back.

There’s also much to be said for the movie’s subtle call for tolerance and understanding in real-world places like Gaza, Tibet and the U.S. Congress.

Sometimes, all it takes is one act of kindness, like a young man reaching out to a wounded animal, to disarm centuries of unfounded hatred.

It also doesn’t hurt that the supposed enemy is as adorable as Toothless, who possesses the look and movements of a cat. But it’s his eyes that get to you and the animators do a splendid job of using them to always let you know what Toothless is thinking.

They also do a fine job of populating this island world with imaginative characters and even more imaginative dragons.

Some even resemble Venus flytraps, with long flat mouths and long, pin-like teeth.

But what all the dragons share is the ability to look lethal one minute and gentle and passive the next, especially when they are around Hiccup, who, with aid of Toothless, becomes a bit of a dragon whisperer, calming them with a simple touch of his hand.

“Dragon” is likely to have that same effect on humans, who may never look at the fire-breathing reptiles the same way again.

Patriot Ledger writer Al Alexander may be reached at aalexander@ledger.com.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (PG) Featuring the voices of Jay Brauchel, Gerard Butler and Craig Ferguson. Directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders. 3 stars out of 4.

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